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Feeding of Ticks on Animals for Transmission and Xenodiagnosis in Lyme Disease Research
Published on: August 31, 2013
Hypersensitivity to ticks and Lyme disease risk
Georgine Burke1, Stephen K Wikel, Andrew Spielman
1Connecticut Children's Medical Center, Hartford, Connecticut, USA.
Emerging Infectious Diseases
|February 12, 2005
Summary
Prior tick bites causing itch may protect against Lyme disease. Repeated exposure to uninfected ticks could build immunity, reducing infection risk in endemic areas.
Area of Science:
- Epidemiology
- Immunology
- Vector-borne diseases
Background:
- Lyme disease is prevalent in endemic areas, yet few exposed individuals contract it.
- Understanding protective factors against Lyme disease is crucial for public health.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate if cutaneous hypersensitivity to tick bites reduces Lyme disease incidence.
- To identify factors limiting Lyme disease in residents of Block Island, Rhode Island.
Main Methods:
- Surveyed 1,498 residents on tick bites and associated itch.
- Assessed Borrelia burgdorferi infection rates in Ixodes scapularis ticks.
- Analyzed the association between tick-associated itch and Lyme disease risk.
Main Results:
- 27% reported tick bites, 17% reported itch.
- 23% of nymphal Ixodes scapularis ticks were infected with Borrelia burgdorferi.
- Increased tick-associated itch (>3 reports) significantly decreased Lyme disease likelihood (OR 0.14, p=0.01).
Conclusions:
- Prior exposure to uninfected ticks may confer protection against Lyme disease.
- Cutaneous hypersensitivity, indicated by itch, appears to be a protective factor.
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